 We are delighted to welcome Hilda Eunice Burgo as she celebrates her newest book, Bodega Cats: Pawsome Pals. Hilda, welcome to this Las Musas blog interview. Please tell us about this fun project. This illustrated middle grade book is told in two points of view: 11-year-old Gregory, and Amber the cat. Baseball means everything to Gregory. It feels like he’s flying when he hits a home run, and it also reminds him of summers spent playing with his cousin in the Dominican Republic. But when an accident benches him for the rest of the season, he’s doomed to sit around his parents’ bodega every afternoon and weekend. For stray cat Amber, who was born with a missing leg and left on the street as a kitten, life has always been about staying away from danger, keeping her belly full, and finding joy in the little things. When she spots a human boy whose leg is broken she remembers what it’s like to need help when you feel lost and alone. How far will these two go to make a friend when they need one most? How would you describe your main character? Why did you create your character that way? The two main characters are Gregory and Amber. Gregory is an athletic fifth-grader who prides himself on being the star of his baseball team. Winning means everything to him. After he breaks a leg during a game, he feels like he’s useless to his team and to his parents who need his help in their bodega. Amber is a stray cat who “adopts” Gregory when she sees him with a broken leg. She was born with three legs and knows that others see her as defective, but she is very nimble, capable, and independent. I created these characters to show how perceptions and attitudes are not always correct, and how Gregory and Amber can learn from one another and become friends. What was the most difficult scene to write in this story? There is a scene where I tell Amber’s background story. I wanted to show that she was discriminated against as a kitten because she has three legs, but I didn’t want her story to be too sad. So I tried out a few different ideas, and finally came up with a backstory that I hope stirs some empathy without being upsetting to readers. What message are you hoping readers will take away from this story? In this story, Gregory feels that he is only of value when he is healthy, scoring runs for his team, and stocking shelves at record speed in the bodega. Amber is determined to be independent and do things on her own. They both learn that everyone has value and that it’s okay to be vulnerable and accept help from a friend every now and then. I hope readers also feel this way after reading this book. Are you agented? If not, can you share how you got your book deals? I am not agented, but I have published several books plus a story in an anthology. My first book, Ana María Reyes Does NOT Live in a Castle, was published after I entered it into a Lee & Low Books contest; even though the book did not win, Lee & Low still offered me a contract. After that book was published, Lee & Low made an offer on my second middle grade novel, Miosotis Flores Never Forgets. My picture book, The Cot in the Living Room, was published by Kokila (an imprint of PRH) when I submitted it in response to a call for unagented submissions. And this Bodega Cats series came about because an editor from Macmillan reached out to me and said she had an idea for a series about three different bodega owners’ kids and their newly adopted cats; she had read my books and thought I would be the perfect person to write this series. I know it’s difficult to get published without an agent, but there are opportunities out there, and I have been fortunate to find some of them. What is on your creative bucket list? I’d like to take a drawing class. I have done some drawing in the past, and I’m okay at it but not super talented. I don’t plan to try my hand at book illustration, but I think it’s good to see things through an artist’s eye. I once took a writing workshop where one of the participants was an artist, and his descriptions of scenes were beautifully detailed and vivid. I realized that I don’t pay as close attention to the details of my surroundings, and I think a drawing class will help me get better at that. I’m always looking for ways to improve my writing, and I believe an art class will help me do that.
Connect with Hilda!
Website: hildaeuniceburgos.com twitter (X): HildaEBurgos1 Instagram: heuniceburgos Facebook: Hilda.Burgos.12 Bluesky: hildaeburgos
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